Word: systemic
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...theory. A terrorist attack? A lightning strike? Some catastrophic technical failure? The first two explanations have largely been discounted (no terrorist group has claimed responsibility, and planes are built to shrug off lightning strikes). Most aircraft accidents stem from an unfortunate cascade of events rather than from any single system malfunction. It's becoming clearer that some combination of weather, an unknown flight-control failure and perhaps the crew's inability to respond is probably to blame. The pilots' margin for error at the time was small; in addition to encountering bad (but not extreme) thunderstorms, the plane was operating...
...costs a lot more to fix something that's broken than it does to prevent it from breaking down in the first place. Our ailing health-care system is long past the point at which we can stop it from breaking down, and it will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to fix. But I trust it's different for most of us. When it comes to individual health care, the model these days is not treating illness but preventing it. The prescription is prevention. Three-quarters of our health-care costs are attributable to chronic, preventable diseases...
...Washington debates how to reshape the regulatory system to prevent economic shocks in the future, Warren hopes to see some of her ideas translate into policy changes. And she vows to continue as long as Congress will have her. "I'm not hanging on to this job. I'm here at the pleasure of the Senate that appointed me," she says. "But having said that, I'm not looking over my shoulder. I'm here to do what I think is right...
...detection. High-tech vinyl-adhesive photographs now available can conceal entire bridges; temporary camouflage can be painted on military tanks and just as quickly be washed off. One Dutch defense contractor is working on thin, plastic sheets that adapt and blend into a soldier's environment by using a system of light-emitting diodes and a small camera. Another contractor, AAE, has patented a type of fabric that prevents infrared radar from detecting body heat. It's calling it the "stealth poncho." It's a long way from Abbott Thayer's sketchbook...
...actually have an ally in Kim Jong Il, who has quietly reversed his earlier decision and started upgrading the country's dilapidated communications infrastructure. Toward the end of last year Orascom Telecom, the Middle East's largest wireless firm, was awarded a contract to install a national cell system. The 25-year contract, in a joint venture with the North Korean state telecom entity, calls for a $400 million investment, which Orascom doubled down on by also investing in a bank and hotel project in Pyongyang. (View pictures of the rise of Kim Jong...